Cash flow vs appreciation trade-offs

Every new real estate investor asks one question: How much cash flow should my rental property make?

For years, you’d hear things like “$200 per month per door” or “it has to hit the 1% rule”. But with so many of these rules outdated, we need a 2026 refresh on real estate cash flow. In today’s housing market, what is good cash flow for a rental property? 

This is how much your rental properties should cash flow each month to help you reach financial freedom. 

We’ll show you exactly how to calculate cash flow, the cash flow goal Dave personally sets for his portfolio, and when a property doesn’t need to cash flow based on other crucial factors. Plus, how to create your “worst case scenario” when analyzing a rental property, so even if everything goes wrong all at once, you’ll still be able to pay your mortgage, keep your rental going, and not lose sleep.

Is the cash flow you’re making enough, or are you falling behind? We’re sharing it all in this episode. 

In This Episode We Cover

How much cash flow should you be making on a rental property (in 2026)?

How to calculate cash flow, cash-on-cash return, and other crucial money metrics 

Why Dave doesn’t care (too much) about year one (or day one) cash flow 

Breaking even on your rental? Why this isn’t a bad thing if you’re in a specific situation 

The cash-on-cash return a rental property has to hit for Dave to move forward on it 

And So Much More!

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